Every year, at least one of the consensus NFL superpowers takes a step back and -- much to the dismay of its shocked fan base -- misses the postseason.

Gregg Rosenthal suggested on the recent NFC Preview episode of Around The NFL Podcast that the 49ers are the team most likely to fall on hard times in 2014. If they can't adequately replace two of the most dominant defenders in football, that prediction is going to look prescient in four months.